Prince Schneizel's Pretty Earl
by LokasennaHiddleston
Summary: All Kanon Maldini has ever been is "Prince Schneizel's pretty earl". With Schneizel under Geass, he is now deemed harmless, irrelevant. Big mistake. There's nothing Kanon isn't willing to do for Schneizel. Even if he has to tear down the peace Emperor Lelouch has built, even if he has to thrust the world back into chaos, he will not allow His Highness to be a slave any longer.


In the history of mankind, many things remain constant. The eternal struggle for power. The alternating dance between peace and war.

But what people often forget is that, sometimes, the little things are the ones that can change the world, and the little people who make all the difference.

Kanon believes himself to be one such person.

It's not that he is insignificant or powerless. But perception is a strong double-bladed weapon, and to most, all Kanon has ever been is Prince Schneizel's aide in matters both public and private. His looks have made even Britannians sneer at him behind his back. "Prince Schneizel's pretty earl." That used to be his nickname, and Kanon never minded, because he's always liked the idea of belonging to His Highness.

After the death of Lelouch vi Britannia, though, the end result of this tendency is that most everyone seems to forget he even exists. He is an extension of Prince Schneizel, and with His Highness under the sway of Lelouch's foul Geass, Kanon has been rendered just as helpless. Or so they believe.

They do not know him well enough to understand that, for all that he may not have physically been in combat, he is still a soldier.

They do not know him well enough to realize that there is nothing he isn't capable of doing for His Highness.

Because he is an aide, not a knight, they dismiss him as a non-factor, and it is a mistake. Prince Schneizel didn't choose him for his looks, after all.

So Kanon waits. He wriggles his way back in his former position at His Highness's side and says nothing as he watches His Highness go through life like an automaton. He watches the new empress tear down the remnants of the old Empire, all following specific dreams and instructions left behind by her brother. He waits in the shadows and bides his time.

It's not very difficult to find the holes in their defenses. Naturally, Emperor Lelouch was much too thorough and smart to leave behind a paper trail that would conveniently reveal his past, but that doesn't mean Kanon can't find ways around that. For all his numerous skills, Sir Kururugi hasn't learned from his mistakes. He may carry the mask of Zero now, as was obvious from the very beginning, but he doesn't have the intelligence of the man who originally donned it.

It's a piece of cake for Kanon to add a recording device to the Empress's wheelchair. And the Empress is nothing if not regretful of her brother's death. She brings him up often in conversation, especially when she and 'Zero' are alone.

To her credit, she does make an effort to call her guard Zero, but within two months, she begins slipping up when they're in private and often addresses him as Suzaku.

Sir Kururugi's response is always the same. "Suzaku Kururugi is dead. I am Zero."

His voice is steady, each and every time, and there's no sign that he regrets his actions in any way. If there was truly a bond between him and the emperor he served, he doesn't show it. But then, it was always in Sir Kururugi's nature to betray people. He isn't like Kanon himself, or like Guilford or Bismark. His loyalty has always been fickle and changed like the weather.

Kanon can't use that against him, not now, since he isn't in a position of power, and he has nothing Sir Kururugi could want. But the fact remains that as much as he—and almost everyone else—would like to pretend otherwise, Suzaku Kururugi is very much alive and masquerading as Zero, and that is Kanon's best weapon.

He gathers information from others, from the Black Knights who occasionally visit and talk around him in Japanese unaware that he can actually understand them. Most aren't as forthcoming as the empress, but Earl Asplund and Cecile Croomy fix that problem. He always suspected they were in on the whole plan all along, and while it's rare for them to state anything outright, Asplund has never been very good at keeping secrets for too long and he often makes unwise comments.

"I do miss Emperor Lelouch. Things were more interesting when he was around. I still wish I could have studied his Geass."

Cecile seems more concerned about Zero and it's not unusual for her to try to corner the masked vigilante and force some food on him. Zero rebuffs her the same way he does the empress. Cecile never calls him Suzaku to his face, but she does express her concern for him to Earl Asplund.

"Cecile-kun, he knows his duty," he tells her. "He won't keel over and die of starvation, not after everything that's happened. Emperor Lelouch trusted him with something valuable, with the legacy of Zero, and he knows that."

It's probably true, but Kanon doesn't much care about the legacy of Zero, not when it's come with the price of His Highness's mind and freedom.

In truth, he suspects that maybe Prince Schneizel himself would deem his actions selfish and unreasonable. While he did not believe peace was truly possible, His Highness always strove for a peaceful outcome nonetheless, and he was not afraid to risk his own life to accomplish it. But death is one thing, this strange non-existence quite another, and Kanon will not allow it, not even if Prince Schneizel hates him for it after.

His resolve is only further solidified when it becomes obvious that Kanon's Schneizel is still somewhere underneath the smooth facade of Zero's slave. On more than one occasion, he stops mid-sentence while he's telling Kanon something about what he needs to do for Zero next and he says, "Kanon, I don't think I ever told you that I..."

He trails off every time, blinks and goes back to his previous sentence like nothing happened. It physically hurts Kanon to see it, but it also encourages him and tells him that he's doing the right thing.

Hilariously, it's not the empress or any of the Black Knights who help him most in his quest. It's Emperor Lelouch's friends from his school days.

His breakthrough comes after Empress Nunnally visits Japan and drops by Ashford Academy, where she used to live before she came back to Pendragon. It's actually not the first time she's visited, but in this instance, she brings a black cat with them, the same one that Sir Kururugi used to keep. Somehow, it has found him yet again, and it has been stalking him for weeks.

The cat is handed to Rivalz Cardemonde. "Now that Suzaku is gone, I thought that you could take care of him," the empress says.

"I'd love to," the boy replies.

Sir Kururugi—as Zero—leaves them alone, which comes in handy, since otherwise, Cardemonde would have probably not approached the matter like he does.

"It's him, isn't it? That's Suzaku."

"Yes, it is, although he'd never say it."

"But why... Kill Lelouch? Why go so far... Why would Lelouch... I don't understand any of this."

So the empress tells him, how her brother had originally been Zero, but was dropped by the Black Knights when his identity as a prince became revealed. "He always wanted peace," she exclaims, "and to do that, he decided to gather all the world's hatred on himself, then remove his existence."

"But... That's horrible! He planned his own assassination? Did you know?"

"I didn't, no. I deemed him a demon, like everybody else." Her voice goes very quiet, like she's trying to hold back tears. "I thought that I had to stop him at all costs. It wasn't until after he died that I learned the truth, after it was much too late to tell him how much I loved him. I tried, but... I don't think he heard me..."

After that, she dissolves into sobs. It's nothing new. Kanon has heard her cry before, many times, when she thinks she's alone, but the wheelchair is close by. Her pain changes nothing, and doesn't touch him in any way.

Things get even better when the empress talks to Kallen. The former Red Ace, now living with her mother in Japan, was the person who best knew Lelouch during his time as Zero, other than the mysterious C.C., who has disappeared to parts unknown. Kallen still mourns Lelouch, and while she is not loose-lipped in any way, grief makes her more talkative than she would have otherwise been.

"I made a huge mistake. We should have never turned on him after the FLEIJA in Tokyo. If we hadn't, maybe he would still be alive, and he hadn't gone to Suzaku for this crazy scheme. As grateful as I am for the outcome... I wish there had been another way."

Once the empress is gone and Kanon can sneak away from His Highness's side, he bugs Cardemonde's phone and belongings, as well as Milly Ashford's. She's a reporter now, but the two of them are still close. Ashford actually confesses that she always suspected Lelouch was Zero, from the very first moment he made his appearance.

"It was just so convenient, that Suzaku would be rescued like that. I knew they were friends when Lelouch lived with the Kururugis, and it wasn't a stretch to figure out he'd pull a crazy stunt like that to rescue Suzaku. Of course, I never suspected the end result would be this, but... If wishes were horses..."

"I wish we could've done more, helped him somehow," Cardemonde says.

"It's much too late now."

Despite the availability of the information, actually monitoring everything is a bit more challenging, since he needs to remain by Prince Schneizel's side. Fortunately, the recording devices he uses compensate for that, but he's still just one man, and he can't trust anyone to help him. He spends most of his nights combing through the data. In a way, it's a comfort, because otherwise, he'd have to think about the fact that Prince Schneizel no longer calls him to his bed, no longer kisses him like he did before, no longer holds him close.

In the end, it takes him a little over two years to wrap up his investigation to his satisfaction. He manages to track down Jeremiah Gottwald at an orange farm, but deems it safer to not approach him. Following a sudden suspicion, he finds Rolo Haliburton's tomb, marked only by a wooden spike holding a rusted locket. He speaks to Shirley Fennette's mother, and she is more than forthcoming once he explains that he does not believe her daughter killed herself.

The timeline is actually too convoluted for him to crack, but he pieces enough of it together and peppers everything with all the conversations he has registered. He manages to track down some photographic evidence too. Although most of it is not convincing by itself, it will help complete the picture. He adds shots of the Shinjuku incident, photos from Narita, images from Tokyo after FLEIJA. He adds simulations of the Black Knights battles with the Britannians. Perhaps most useful is Lelouch himself. A comparison of the voice pattern of the original Zero and Emperor Lelouch, as well as that of his extravagant mannerisms and eccentric hand gestures is enough to point out the two of them were the same person.

He carefully weeds out any mentioning of Prince Schneizel and leaves aside the matters of the Geass, knowing full well that it would be much too difficult to explain to the worldwide public. He considers removing all mentioning of Lelouch's good intentions, but decides against it, since this way, the investigation seems far more unbiased. When he's done, he begins to release the whole thing to the public, and waits for chaos to ensue.

Internet freedom is a beautiful thing. The Britannian royal house—His Highness included—try to do some damage control, but there's only so much they can do. Most states have joined the UFN now, having jumped at the chance of world peace after Lelouch's fall, but if they make any attempt to squash the imminent disaster, it doesn't show.

Newspapers proudly proclaim the title, "Demon Emperor Lelouch Revealed to Be First Zero!", adding the comparison shots to their articles. Reporters do more digging, furthering Kanon's own investigation and adding fuel to the fire. When Kanon finally releases the true identity of Zero, Britannia explodes into rioting.

Suzaku Kururugi's tomb is vandalized and found empty.

After that, there's nothing left to stop the onslaught. On the Internet, public opinion on Lelouch is mixed, with many deeming him a martyr for a just cause. But on the streets of Pendragon, hatred is far more prevalent. A crowd gathers in front of the Britannian royal palace, demanding Kururugi's life. Good intentions or not, the Demon Emperor and his knight did spill rivers of blood prior to Lelouch's fall.

The empress gathers all her closest associates to her in an emergency meeting. "There has to be something we can do. How can we fix this crisis?"

Prince Schneizel offers no reply. He's grown increasingly quiet in the past few days. Kanon hopes that's a good thing, since it's much too late to take anything back.

"We've already put out an official statement arguing against the original rumors," Cornelia says. "That doesn't help us at all now."

And then, they're all arguing, going around in circles and trying to find something to pacify the crowd outside.

"Enough!" Zero finally shouts. Everyone freezes, shocked that Sir Kururugi has raised his voice. He's always so calm, like his insides are made out of ice.

Finally, finally, Sir Kururugi removes his mask—Zero's mask. "They won't rest until I'm dead, so I'm going to give them what they want."

The empress's eyes fill with tears. "Suzaku, no. This isn't what Lelouch..."

"I know," Suzaku replies, cutting her off. "Don't get me wrong... I don't want to do it. I made a promise to Lelouch, to safeguard the world he made. I don't deserve death. And maybe this is cowardly and yet another betrayal on the list of my numerous failings, but I honestly don't see any other solution."

"They may turn against the empress should you die, Suzaku," Gino Weinberg says. He's always seen Sir Kururugi as a friend of sorts, and they appear to have made amends after the Requiem, despite the fact that Weinberg was never among those who overtly called the former Knight of Zero out on his deception.

"There are others who can protect her. At this point, my presence by Nunnally's side will just endanger her." He shoots Cornelia a look. "Princess Cornelia, can you buy me some time? There's something I must do first."

"Very well, Kururugi. I will see what I can do."

With that, Kururugi leaves, Zero's cape fluttering behind him. When he leaves Pendragon, nobody tries to stop him. It's not like they'd be able to do it anyway, and there's no point to even try.

Cornelia surrounds the palace with knightmares and chases off the crowd with gas canisters. It doesn't improve the situation in any way, but it does buy Sir Kururugi the time he requested.

He comes back the next day, once more dressed as Zero. He doesn't actually return to the palace. Kanon sees him like most everyone else, through the direct video feed from outside that is displayed in the meeting room.

Once again, he stands alone, in the middle of the street, this time in front of an angry crowd rather than an imperial convoy. He removes his mask and speaks out.

"My emperor only wished for peace for the world. If the price to be paid is my life, as well as his, take it."

His unflinching courage gives some people pause. But there are some who are too angry.

A gunshot echoes through the sudden silence, followed by another and another.

The bullets don't reach the unmasked Zero. A close up of his face shows that he's as surprised as the rest of them.

A bright light suddenly engulfs him and a figure manifests out of thin air. It's Emperor Lelouch, still dressed in his white robes, stained crimson with his blood. "Citizens of Pendragon. I see you don't like the knight I left for you. How unfortunate."

In the meeting room, Empress Nunnally lets out a choked cry and tries to make her way to the door. Princess Cornelia stops her from leaving the room. "Don't. You need to stay here. This could be dangerous."

On the screen, Lelouch is still talking, his voice ringing out loud and clear, almost like he's in the room with them. "Now, you're probably wondering how I can be here when I died two years ago. It's very simple really. I'm not actually here. I'm a ghost."

As if to prove his point, Kururugi reaches out and tries to grab his shoulder. His hand goes straight through his emperor's figure. He stares at Lelouch, white as a sheet, but also, with something akin to yearning. He falls to his knees and bows his head submissively.

"I'm sorry, my emperor. I've failed you."

Lelouch shakes his head. "I'm the one who was unreasonable. I always asked and hoped for too much. Like C.C. once said... It was presumptuous of us to even attempt this."

"Is it... done then? Can I... come with you?"

Lelouch smiles bitterly. "Clearly, that's what the people want. And we must give the people what they want."

He kneels next to his knight and leans in closer. For a moment, he seems more solid, less translucent, like his knight's closeness is making him more alive.

Then, he presses their mouths together in a small, barely there kiss.

The result is almost instantaneous. Sir Kururugi goes down and doesn't move. When Lelouch gets up, his knight's figure manifests next to him.

Sir Kururugi stares at his hands, then at his body, in frozen surprise. Lelouch offers him his hand, and just like that, a smile blooms on Sir Kururugi's face.

For Kanon, it's a shocking sight. He's never seen Kururugi smile, never. It was like one of the laws of physics. The shortest route to a certain point is a straight line. Guilford is loyal to Princess Cornelia. Suzaku Kururugi doesn't smile.

Apparently, that wasn't quite true.

Kururugi takes his emperor's hand. Their point of contact glows brightly, so bright, it seems impossible to catch on camera. Lelouch turns toward the crowd once again. "Let it end here then. Let the circle of hatred end. I will be gone, and so will my knight. Hate me if you must, but build a new world on that hatred. Believe what you will of our actions, but do not turn on each other for that reason. Goodbye."

Just like that, they're gone. All that's left is the empty shell of Suzaku Kururugi's dead body.

On the streets of Pendragon, everybody is silent. In the royal palace, Empress Nunnally cries. "Big brother... Please... Don't leave me again..."

Nobody replies. It is too late. Emperor Lelouch and Suzaku Kururugi have left Pendragon, and possibly, the world of the living.

Seconds later, Prince Schneizel finally blinks back into awareness. "Kanon?" he asks, dazed and confused.

Zero is dead. There is no one left for him to take orders from, so the Geass is invalid, just like Kanon hoped.

A part of him feels triumph. The other feels sad. He knows that, in his heart, His Highness did love his younger brother, and seeing Emperor Lelouch again has brought back that knowledge.

But nothing is more important than Prince Schneizel, so the triumph wins out. Kanon hides his smile and kneels next to His Highness. When their eyes meet, he knows Prince Schneizel has guessed he's done something. But His Highness doesn't ask, and the others are too distracted by today's incident to worry about him.

After all, he is only Prince Schneizel's pretty earl. In the big picture, he isn't that important.

* * *

In the aftermath of the dramatic death of Suzaku Kururugi, the second Zero, many questions are asked. Was Lelouch vi Britannia actually dead? Was it all a ploy? Is Britannia fooling them? Surely, Lelouch's ghost couldn't have randomly visited Pendragon... Right?

The empress comes out, stone-faced and determined. "My brother is dead, as is his knight. There is no deception. They sought to change the world and paid the ultimate price for it. We will bury Suzaku Kururugi with honor, and we will respect my brother's words. We will build a new world, based on cooperation, peace and togetherness, so that no one will ever have to resort to such drastic measures again."

Slowly, the world glides back into what it was before Kanon's intervention. Whether the empress is telling the truth or not, nobody wants to ruin the delicate balance the UFN has brought to the table.

Prince Schneizel goes back to the same tasks he was assigned before. If he has any ambitions for the throne, he doesn't show it. "At this point, it would probably be for the best if we left things as they are," he tells Kanon. "I have a feeling my brother is still watching us."

That should probably be unnerving for Kanon, but he doesn't really care, not when he has His Highness back.

One year later, Prince Schneizel asks Kanon to marry him, and Kanon is overjoyed to accept.

The next time Emperor Lelouch and his knight make their ghostly appearance is at Kanon's wedding, but that's an entirely different story.


End file.
